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Battle of Weirdly Waves
The Battle of Weirdly Waves was a major battle in the history of Poorthwart, and is acknowledged as the event that marks the start of the fourth age (Present Day). It is also the last time that the Titans were active, prior to the events of Poorthwart: The Cataclysm. Factions The battle was fought between two armies composed of factions: * Victorious ** Hadlefro Caducity, Yelfezzer the Shrive and the Terror Badae Brague ** the Anchorites * Defeated ** The ships of the Sea of Ships ** Carnival Weep Background The Middle Days of Poorthwart were characterized by the growing power of Carnival Weep, and the continued rise in power of the Anchorites. Carnival Weep sought to expand its stronghold past its current borders, and in evaluating its options, ruled out trying to battle The Great Wobbly Maw, as it sat over the concentration of the Wobbles, and they could not predict how the fight might go. Likewise, the unexplored Terror Zones and Fear were ruled out, and thus they decided that the Sea of Ships would be a good jumping-off point, as it might bring them strategically closer to being able to attack the Levels from both sides. They sought an alliance with the ships, and were told they would be permitted to build floating tents under three conditions: * They must not interfere with the free movement or independence of the ships. This was not an issue for the Weep, as the ships had no ambitions beyond their own borders, and thus did not conflict with their own goals for expansion (they have no issue living in concert with other antagonists); * They must destroy the lighthouse Anchorite, Bellwether Bellmoll, who the ships resented for keeping watch over them and reporting on their affairs to the Anchorites; and * They must kill, neutralize or banish Hadlefro Caducity, a constant source of fear for the ships Battle Plans Knowing that a direct attack on Hadlefro was borderline suicide, the Weep orchestrated a complex diversion. They would attack Bellwether Bellmoll, which they knew would prompt a counter-attack from Anchorite airships. They would then have the ships provoke Hadlefro by having some ships fly out of the water on balloons. This would convince him that all air-bound devices were to be attacked, and he would surely attack the Anchorite ships, requiring them to respond in turn. The Weep would then take advantage of this distraction to catch him off-guard with an offensive of their own. Bellwether Bellmoll began to notice unusual behavior from the ships, and sent a note to Tutor Milk and the other Anchorites indicating that he expected to be attacked in some manner in the coming days. Tutor Milk correctly guessed that the Weep was involved, and worked out their probable plan. He summoned Hadlefo, as well as the Titans Yelfezzer the Shrive and the Terror Badae Brague, to tea, and informed them that he anticipated an attack on Hadlefro, orchestrated by the Weep. The Terror Badae Brague, bane of the Weep, helped Tutor Milk devise a counter-attack, and the Titans waited by Tutor Milk for the call to arms. The Battle The Weep proceeded with its plan, attacking the Bellwether Bellmoll just after dawn on the day of battle. He sustained significant damage during the attack, and approximately one hour after the offensive began, he was relieved by air support from the Anchorites's airship fleet. As per their plan, the Weep had the ships send up balloon-equipped ships to join the Anchorite vessels. Hadlefro Caducity emerged from the sea near Bellwether Bellmoll and began a cursory attack on airships, in order to convince the Weep their plan was working. It was at this time that the full forces of the Weep launched their own raid, exposing fully their strength and from what positions they were attacking. At Tutor Milk's command, the Terror Badae Brague and Yelfezzer the Shrive emerged from the sea at this point, sending the Weep and ship forces into a complete panic. The Anchorite airships quickly dispatched of the floating ships and then began to form a perimeter around Bellwether Bellmoll, guarding against any possible betrayal by the Titans. The Weep forces fled towards their home, and were pursued by both Yelfezzer and Badae Brague. Slingsidian the Magician personally came out of the Weep for the first time in centuries to provide cover to his retreating forces, but at the sight of Badae Brague he fled to the Weep. This temporary cover was the only thing that kept Weep forces from total annihilation. The ships, meanwhile, had less recourse for escape, and had to rely on the sheer size of the sea to scatter their forces and prevent clustered attacks. The Aftermath The Battle of Weirdly Waves was considered a complete loss by the Sea of Ships and Carnival Weep. Victorious Force Losses The Anchorites only lost six airships, and all of their crew survived unharmed by jumping onto the back of Yelfezzer the Shrive, who - to Tutor Milk's complete surprise - allowed them to be rescued unharmed. Bellwether Bellmoll survived the attack, but at such significant loss of strength that he decided to spend most of his future time inside his head, and the Anchorites largely lost reports on the activities of the ships. The Titans all returned to Titan Space 2, and vanished from Poorthwart due to a freezing condition that lasted for centuries (this was not known to the people of Poorthwart, though). Defeated Force Losses Of the 130,000 ships that were estimated to have participated in the battle, less than 25,000 survived the assault. It is probable that further numbers may have later sunk from their wounds, though there is no verification of this. Carnival Weep's losses are more difficult to estimate, but it is generally agreed - even by antagonistic forces - that 75% of Weep attackers were killed in the battle. This serious weakening of the Weep is certainly the cause for their relative quiet in the centuries to follow, and their heavy investment in infrastructure to protect against any possible follow-up attacks.